Approval rates
Comparing a judge's performance to broader benchmarks provides context for your hearing. Judge Noel has presided over 24,068 lifetime decisions, a volume that offers a clear look at his decision-making history. While his latest approval rate of 73% is notable, it is measured against the Hartford Hearing Office average of 60% and the national average of 58%. These aggregate rates describe past decisions rather than serving as a prediction for your specific hearing.
Office- and national-level breakdowns of fully favorable vs denial rates aren't currently published by SSA in the per-office disposition data. The judge's own breakdown is the detail we have today.
Approval rate over time
Year-over-year approval rate across Judge Noel's docket. Annual rates fluctuate with the mix of cases SSA assigns; the longer-run pattern is more informative than any single year.
Decision pattern
Over his 10 years on the bench, Judge Noel has shown an upward trend in his approval rates. Starting at 31% in 2016, his annual approval frequency has risen, reaching 73% in the most recent reporting period. This shift reflects an evolution in his approach to case evaluation over the last decade, indicating a more favorable trend for your case in his courtroom.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Noel's bench. Judge-specific preparation guidance requires a corpus of public Appeals Council decisions involving each judge, which we haven't built yet.
- Bring a clean treating-physician record. Longitudinal primary-care or specialist notes spanning the disability period, with consistent symptom documentation, are typically the strongest evidence at hearing. A single month's records usually aren't enough.
- Don't rely on consultative exams alone. If your medical evidence is built primarily around a one-time CE finding, expect detailed questioning. Supplement with treating-source statements where possible.
- Prepare for daily-activity questions. Have honest, specific answers about a typical day. Answers that conflict with the medical record (in either direction) tend to hurt credibility.
- Expect transferable-skills probing. A vocational expert will usually testify about jobs available to someone with your limitations. Your representative should be prepared to cross-examine.
Hearing with Judge Noel? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Hartford hearing office
The Hartford Hearing Office serves claimants throughout Connecticut, managing a high volume of disability appeals. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains an environment where caseloads are distributed to ensure efficient processing of claims. The office currently reports an approval rate of 60%, reflecting the regional landscape of disability adjudication.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration assigns cases through a workload-balancing algorithm, meaning your assignment to a specific judge is essentially random. Across the Hartford office, lifetime approval rates among the 6 judges range from 27% to 56%. Because every judge operates under the same federal regulations, the core requirements for proving your disability remain consistent regardless of who hears your case.
Your odds change dramatically with a lawyer
SSDI hearing approval rates — represented vs. on your own
Source: U.S. Government Accountability Office, GAO-18-37. The 3× gap is a population-wide average across all judges; individual outcomes vary.